Ceramic Coating - Is Lifetime Really Lifetime?

[Neil McCauley]

Had mine done at a reputable shop 2 years ago. They did an incredible job, but honestly now wouldn't recommend having it done professionally. The only things really worth getting done by a pro are paint correction and PPF. No one who doesn't do that for a living themselves can get those results at home as DIY and you get what you pay for. Ceramic though seems fine as a DIY. If it doesn't look perfect, who cares? It's still better than it was before, it cost you nothing compared to a professional shop, and it will wear off in a few months.

 

[1BADRAMLIMITED]

Had mine done at a reputable shop 2 years ago. They did an incredible job, but honestly now wouldn't recommend having it done professionally. The only things really worth getting done by a pro are paint correction and PPF. No one who doesn't do that for a living themselves can get those results at home as DIY and you get what you pay for. Ceramic though seems fine as a DIY. If it doesn't look perfect, who cares? It's still better than it was before, it cost you nothing compared to a professional shop, and it will wear off in a few months.

totally agree with this. watched youtube videos until i felt confident on which product to use and method to get optimal results. came out flawless i use a product from Griots to maintain the coating and add hydrophobic properties back to the car. i did do minor paint correction on the vehicle prior to the coating since the cermaic locks in the swirls etc after applied.

i used car pro c quartz

 

[DeanM2]

I am about to start the application of Ceramic to my new 2023 Ram 1500. I will be using CarPro Cquartz as I have used it before. I did a considerable amount of research on Detailing for how I perform this. In my experience it will look incredible for 1 year, and look still look very good and really shed water for another year. It really doesn't take that long to apply the ceramic coating, but to get the best results, the preparation does take some time. Even though my paint is new, I will be performing the following:

1. I will wash the truck with Chemical Guys Clean Slate (or any other wax stripper). This is a strong wash that will strip any wax and gunk from the vehicle. 30 minutes.
2. I will apply Adams Iron Remover to remove any iron particles from the paint. This is an easy process. You spray it on the bottom half of the body. Wait 30 minutes, and then wash it off. You would be amazed how many metal particles are embedded in your paint, and then can end up creating swirls in your clear coat when you polish it. 40 minutes.
3. I will use Nanoskin Glide and a Nanoskin 4AutoScrub pad (rather than clay bar), to remove other (non metal) contaminants from the paint. 60 minutes.
4. I will lightly "polish" (because it is new paint) the paint using a polishing compound (not a more aggressive "restoration" compound) with an orbital polisher. 2-3 hours.
5. Finally, I am ready to apply the ceramic coating. 3-4 hours.
   1. I will wipe the surfaces with about 12% isopropyl alcohol and water, and a micro-fiber towel, before applying the ceramic coating.
   2. Apply the ceramic coating to about a 2 foot by 2 foot area.
   3. Wait for the ceramic coating to "flash"; generally a couple of minutes.
   4. Wipe and polish that area. Move to the next area.

A long weekend job that results in a far glossier and better protection than any "wax".

 

[1BADRAMLIMITED]

I am about to start the application of Ceramic to my new 2023 Ram 1500. I will be using CarPro Cquartz as I have used it before. I did a considerable amount of research on Detailing for how I perform this. In my experience it will look incredible for 1 year, and look still look very good and really shed water for another year. It really doesn't take that long to apply the ceramic coating, but to get the best results, the preparation does take some time. Even though my paint is new, I will be performing the following:

1. I will wash the truck with Chemical Guys Clean Slate (or any other wax stripper). This is a strong wash that will strip any wax and gunk from the vehicle. 30 minutes.
2. I will apply Adams Iron Remover to remove any iron particles from the paint. This is an easy process. You spray it on the bottom half of the body. Wait 30 minutes, and then wash it off. You would be amazed how many metal particles are embedded in your paint, and then can end up creating swirls in your clear coat when you polish it. 40 minutes.
3. I will use Nanoskin Glide and a Nanoskin 4AutoScrub pad (rather than clay bar), to remove other (non metal) contaminants from the paint. 60 minutes.
4. I will lightly "polish" (because it is new paint) the paint using a polishing compound (not a more aggressive "restoration" compound) with an orbital polisher. 2-3 hours.
5. Finally, I am ready to apply the ceramic coating. 3-4 hours.
   1. I will wipe the surfaces with about 12% isopropyl alcohol and water, and a micro-fiber towel, before applying the ceramic coating.
   2. Apply the ceramic coating to about a 2 foot by 2 foot area.
   3. Wait for the ceramic coating to "flash"; generally a couple of minutes.
   4. Wipe and polish that area. Move to the next area.

A long weekend job that results in a far glossier and better protection than any "wax".

SOUNDS SPOT ON AND U DID YOUR HOMEWORK WELL. POST PICTURES WHEN YOUR DONE AND MAYBE A VIDEO OF THE END RESULT (WATER SHEDDING ETC)

 

[Chris3058]

Save yourself some serious money and do it yourself in your garage.

GYEON - CAR CARE REDEFINED

GYEON is a brand offering reliable, thoroughly-tested range of high technology products, which satisfies the needs of both enthusiasts and professionals

gyeon.co

 

[HSKR R/T]

Save yourself some serious money and do it yourself in your garage.

GYEON - CAR CARE REDEFINED

GYEON is a brand offering reliable, thoroughly-tested range of high technology products, which satisfies the needs of both enthusiasts and professionals

gyeon.co

The DIY coatings aren't the same as the professionally installed coatings.

 

[Chris3058]

The DIY coatings aren't the same as the professionally installed coatings.

No. They aren’t but much cheaper. The Gyeom MOHS stuff has worked for me really really well.

 

[DeanM2]

Thought I would provide an update to my Ceramic Coating process. Today, I stripped any wax, removed the iron particles, and used the NanoSkin glide. Tomorrow I will polish.
This truck is about a month old and has only 2K miles on it. I was thinking the iron removal step was probably not necessary on such a new vehicle. But, that step is so easy, I went ahead. See the attached pictures. In the pictures, the purple streaks are from the iron particles embedded in the paint that are partially dissolving after being sprayed with an iron remover. While the front of the truck was the worst, the entire truck had particles in the paint.

 

[1BADRAMLIMITED]

Thought I would provide an update to my Ceramic Coating process. Today, I stripped any wax, removed the iron particles, and used the NanoSkin glide. Tomorrow I will polish.
This truck is about a month old and has only 2K miles on it. I was thinking the iron removal step was probably not necessary on such a new vehicle. But, that step is so easy, I went ahead. See the attached pictures. In the pictures, the purple streaks are from the iron particles embedded in the paint that are partially dissolving after being sprayed with an iron remover. While the front of the truck was the worst, the entire truck had particles in the paint.

Nice what iron remover did you use?

 

[DeanM2]

Nice what iron remover did you use?

I used Adams Polishes Iron Remover.

 

[DeanM2]

Here is another update on the ceramic coating of my new 2023 Ram 1500.
I performed the polishing step yesterday. Since the truck is new, it was pretty easy. Unfortunately I did not mask all of the black plastic pieces, and the spray from the polishing compound is on everything. Damn!
Today, I applied the ceramic coating (CarPro C.QUARTZ SIC). Pretty time consuming since I needed to wait about 2+ minutes between sections to allow the ceramic coating to flash. I also applied 2 coats to the front, rear, hood, and top. While applying the coating, I saw an area that that looked like sagging paint. I thought I must have dripped the coating on the paint. Decided to buff it out later. I went to the next panel section and before I even applied the coating, I saw another section that looked like the paint was applied too thickly and sagged. It wasn't me! I went back and used a more aggressive polishing compound to clear it up. But the paint defect was clearly underneath the clear coat. My polishing was doing nothing. Frick! I was not expecting that.
Running my fingers over the hood now, it is sooooo smooth and slippery, it is almost erotic.
Still need to clean up the truck, primarily the polishing compound that sprayed onto the windows, lights, and black plastic. But I'll wait a couple of days for the ceramic coating to fully cure.

 

[dajogejr]

I had a local shop, after reviewing their work online and talking to their customers, do a 2 step paint correction, ceramic coat and PPF on the front of my truck, including above the windshield and up the A pillars. They also coated glass and my rim faces.
They also did ceramic on the inside door wells, window frames, etc., but did not polish there.
Following their advice to a T how to maintain and clean.

Paid for it.. but it was worth having pros do it in a shop, with proper lighting, tools, knowledge… then doing it myself.
Awesome job.. how long it lasts, we’ll see. But I’m super impressed with the quality of their work, how deep the shine is and how easy it is to clean up.

 

[Kiwiaudio]

I had a local shop, after reviewing their work online and talking to their customers, do a 2 step paint correction, ceramic coat and PPF on the front of my truck, including above the windshield and up the A pillars. They also coated glass and my rim faces.
They also did ceramic on the inside door wells, window frames, etc., but did not polish there.
Following their advice to a T how to maintain and clean.

Paid for it.. but it was worth having pros do it in a shop, with proper lighting, tools, knowledge… then doing it myself.
Awesome job.. how long it lasts, we’ll see. But I’m super impressed with the quality of their work, how deep the shine is and how easy it is to clean up.

"PPF" = paint protection film ?

 

[bigdodge]

"PPF" = paint protection film ?

yes

 

[DeanM2]

I will say that ceramic coatings DO NOT last a lifetime... unless you are expecting not to live much longer. Even the "professional" CarPro ceramic coating that is only sold to Professional Installers is only rated for 24 month. In spite of this, I am still a fan of ceramic coatings. They look fantastic and provide a lot of protection.

 

[bigdodge]

I will say that ceramic coatings DO NOT last a lifetime... unless you are expecting not to live much longer. Even the "professional" CarPro ceramic coating that is only sold to Professional Installers is only rated for 24 month. In spite of this, I am still a fan of ceramic coatings. They look fantastic and provide a lot of protection.

so what happens after 24 months?

 

[HSKR R/T]

I will say that ceramic coatings DO NOT last a lifetime... unless you are expecting not to live much longer. Even the "professional" CarPro ceramic coating that is only sold to Professional Installers is only rated for 24 month. In spite of this, I am still a fan of ceramic coatings. They look fantastic and provide a lot of protection.

So all the coatings that have 5-7 year guarantee on them are really only good for 24 months?

 

[PurpleRT]

Personally I’ve never gotten more then 2 years out of a ceramic coatings using both Cquartz and Gtechniq Crystal serum light. What most shops fail to mention is that you have to do a yearly basically “maintenance” wash they you’ll pay for and if any area fails will be reapplied. Now my vehicle aren’t garaged kept so that also contributes to the longevity. I don’t remember for sure but with the Cquartz there was a topper you can use every wash years ago. For Gtechniq I would use C4 every wash to
Increase longevity its been a bit over 2 years on my 5th gen and its about that time to do a minor paint correction and reapply something. It was good while it lasted but I think this time I would stick with the cheaper and easier to apply CC and just reapply once a year (adams/avalonling etc).

My wash routine is either hand wash/pressure wash when I’m home. When I’m on the road for work which is most of the year I stick to either a touchless wash here and there or coin wash when I can find a decent one.


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[PurpleRT]

I think of most detail shops like tint shops. You”ll see them pop up left and right but rarely will you see that same shop still in business after a year or two so I wouldn’t rely on the warranty to much. Unless it’s a shop thats been in business in the area for a while.


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[HSKR R/T]

I think of most detail shops like tint shops. You”ll see them pop up left and right but rarely will you see that same shop still in business after a year or two so I wouldn’t rely on the warranty to much. Unless it’s a shop thats been in business in the area for a while.


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Two Local businesses, been in business for 10+ years. Both offer 5-7 year ceramic coating guarantees.